Nightmare
by CSI-girl419
Summary: Who's that sleeping in my bed?  CaRWash


**A/N: Hey everyone! Yes, I'm still working on _Unexpected Journey_, but once again the plot bunnies have attacked mercilessly!! I've had this one gnawing at me for quite some time and it was becoming a nuisance, so I thought I'd get rid of it. This is a short little one shot (in no realation to any of my AUs) with plenty of CaRWash and lots of emotion mixed in. I'm trying something a little different with this one, so please read it all the way through (it's a completely different story if you stop halfway) and then please review and let me know what you think! That said, this is dedicated to all the girls in the TalkCSI CaRWash forum; congrats on the new thread everyone! May there be many more happy times with our favorite couple!**

**Disclaimer: I do not in any way own CSI Miami or its characters. I just play with them while Ann and Cory are not looking! ;)**

**Nightmare**

The house was dark and silent, save for the soft tick of the clock in the living room. The full moon shone brightly through the lacy curtains of the kitchen window, casting a ghostly light on the tile floor. A black and white cat was curled up on the living room sofa, sound asleep. The clock struck one, its chimes softly announcing that all was well. The sound of a key in the front door woke the cat, who stretched and walked over to investigate. The door opened and a beautiful woman slipped through, locking it securely behind her. Still laughing at something only she could know, the woman set her keys and purse on an end table, and turned to put her light jacket away, before noticing the shadow sitting at her feet.

"Hey Squiz," Calleigh said, bending down to pet the little cat, "Did I wake you up again?"

The cat mewed a disgruntled but forgiving noise. Calleigh giggled as it leaned into her for one last stroke before turning and walking back over to the couch where it had been previously perched. Jumping up, it settled itself back into a tight curl and drifted back to sleep.

"Good idea," Calleigh said, yawning. She walked down the hall into the bathroom, closing the door before turning on the light. She had left a tank top and a pair of lounge pants in there to change into when she got home so she wouldn't wake her sleeping husband. She took off her makeup and brushed out her hair before changing into the sleepwear. After brushing her teeth, she turned out the light in the bathroom and headed for the bedroom, eager to spend the night snuggled in her husband's arms.

When she got to the bedroom, however, she saw something that made her stop in the doorway. There, nestled next to her husband in the spot that should have been hers, was another figure.

The girl (Calleigh refused to think of her as a woman) was snuggled up close to Ryan, her head tucked just under his chin. He had one arm draped over her, holding her close to him. She was beautiful, even Calleigh had to admit that; her perfect complexion seemed to glow in the milky light. She had shoulder length light brown hair that was tousled in sleep. Her little flimsy nightgown was hiked up to mid-thigh, leaving little to the imagination. She had one hand on Ryan's chest, the other wrapped across her chest and rested on her shoulder. Both Ryan and this mystery girl were breathing deeply in sleep, the girl occasionally emitting a soft sigh.

Calleigh stood in the doorway for a long while, her eyes slightly narrowed, watching the scene before her. To the outside viewer, this was the ultimate heartbreak, the ultimate betrayal, the ultimate sin in an otherwise perfect marriage. While the wife was having a night on the town with a few female friends, the husband brought another girl to their marital bed. This was the stuff that many divorces were made of. How could a marriage recover from that kind of infidelity?

Most women when faced with this situation run away crying, or kick and scream, having her whole world shattered. Others step away in silence, letting the pain fester inside of them, poisoning them for life. Calleigh, on the other hand, did none of these things. In fact, that night she did something very unusual.

Calleigh smiled.

Not just a tiny smile, but the kind of smile that someone gets when watching a puppy play with a toddler, or an old couple walking down the street hand in hand. This was a smile of peace and joy and most of all, love.

Calleigh finally stepped into the room and sat on the bed. Reaching over, she brushed a few strands of her daughter's silky brown hair behind her ear, and kissed her forehead softly. Ryan stirred and opened his eyes, blinking into focus the image of his wife.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Calleigh whispered, trying not to wake up the little girl.

"It's alright," Ryan smiled, leaning over his daughter to give Calleigh a kiss, "We haven't been asleep long."

"Did she have another nightmare?" Calleigh asked sympathetically.

Ryan nodded. "I couldn't get her to quit crying for the longest time. I know you don't like her sleeping in here with us, but I couldn't think of any other way to get her to calm down. If you'd seen the fear in her eyes..." He trailed off with a small shudder, remembering the pain he felt for his daughter, for not being able to protect her.

"I understand," Calleigh said, shifting Raleigh's body over a little so she could lay down, "What was she dreaming about this time?"

"I'm not completely sure, but I heard "Mommy" and "Daddy" and "hurt" and "accident" and "bad guy". I think she was worried about us dying somehow," Ryan said, propping his head on his elbow. This slight movement moved him away from Raleigh enough that she was no longer touching him. Even in sleep, she seemed to sense this and whimpered, moving closer until she touched the bare flesh of his arm. Once physical contact had been established, she quickly fell back to her peaceful state.

Calleigh shook her head with a sad smile. "She's too young to have to worry about things like that. Where do you think she could have gotten that idea?"

Ryan sighed. "I wish I knew...wait, I saw her talking to Eric today. He was telling Raleigh about the time he got shot in the head at a crime scene and nearly died. She's a smart girl...I bet she put two and two together and realized we could be in danger."

"I'm gonna kill Eric," Calleigh said shutting her eyes and leaning back, "I though we had already worked through this with her."

"We'll just have to try again," Ryan said, "That and show her how much we love her."

Calleigh nodded and touched a hand to her little girl's face. "That's the easy part," she whispered, kissing Raleigh on the forehead.

"So what are we going to do about her tonight?" Ryan asked, "I'm not sure we can move her without her waking up."

"Let her sleep here tonight," Calleigh said, watching her daughter through loving eyes, "And then in the morning we can take care of the rest."

Ryan smiled. "Goodnight Calleigh," he whispered, leaning over to give her a long kiss, "I love you."

"I love you too," Calleigh replied, snuggling closer to Raleigh and Ryan.

Cuddled together, with their daughter safely between them, Calleigh and Ryan drifted back into slumber; the only witness to the happy scene, a little black and white cat that joined them on the bed a few moments later.

**The End**


End file.
